Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs María Otero will travel to Indonesia from May 17-21 to engage government officials, non-governmental organizations, and civil society on an array of human security issues—from political, economic, and water security, to environment, human rights, and anti-trafficking issues—on which the United States and Indonesia can cooperate.

Under Secretary Otero will meet with senior government officials to discuss the Comprehensive Partnership, which will include a broad range of political, economic, and people-to-people cooperation.Under Secretary Otero will also participate in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Bank Rakyat Indonesia to provide micro-credit for clean water access. This agreement reflects Secretary Clinton’s emphasis on water security as a strategic policy priority for the U.S. government. Under Secretary Otero will travel to Pekanbaru to explore peat land degradation, a top source of Indonesia’s greenhouse gas emissions, and meet with villagers to discuss the effects of deforestation. Under Secretary Otero will meet with members of the Interreligious Council comprised of Indonesia’s most respected faith leaders to discuss interfaith cooperation. Recognizing Indonesian society’s growing use of new social media, Under Secretary Otero will also hold a meeting with bloggers to discuss Internet freedom. Finally, she will hold a meeting with stakeholders of Indonesia’s anti-trafficking efforts.

As Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs, Otero oversees the bureaus of Population, Refugees and Migration; Democracy, Human Rights and Labor; Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs; and the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. She also serves as the Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues.